History & Civics

The NCBLA believes that literacy is essential to the development of responsible citizens in a democracy.

Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1820, “I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education. This is the true corrective of abuses of constitutional power.”

The more education Americans have, the more likely they are to be active citizens and vote in national and local elections. Building on the links between literacy, historical literacy, and civic engagement, on these pages we share information about the White House, its residents, voting rights, and the election process—all created to help you enliven young people’s interest in history, giving them the tools and information to inspire them as they learn and to become thoughtful, engaged citizens.